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Recreation

Stevens Creek Trail

6/27/2001 Council Meeting
STEVENS CREEK TRAIL, REACH 4, SEGMENT 2 DRAFT FEASIBILITY REPORT
A Councilmember asked if the Guadalupe Coyote Resource Conservation District (GCRCD) has jurisdiction over the City and what their specific role is in this process. The Public Works Director responded that the GCRCD is a special district in Santa Clara County with an appointed board of directors.
Judy Shandley, David Powers & Associates, environmental consultants for the feasibility study, added that the GCRCD is a trustee agency and an overseer of creek and riparian resources. She noted that they do not have any formal permitting or legal authority over resources in the City of Mountain View; however, they offer their opinions about things and work with the Audubon Society and the Department of Fish and Game to further their goals.
A Councilmember asked if staff could provide further information on this organization and what potential authority they have to pursue litigation against the City.

Bicycle Lanes

2/29/2000 Council Meeting 
Bike route designation - One Councilmember expressed concern that citizens would take it upon themselves to police the street and harass bicyclists using the route if the City does not designate it as an official bicycle route. She noted that whether mapped or not, dedicated bicyclists would find this route.
Motion: M/S Ambra/Faravelli - Carried 4-3; Lieber, Noe, Stasek no
Approve the Council Transportation Committee's recommendation to continue directing bicyclists along the bike lanes on Sylvan Avenue and Moorpark Way and not designate portions of Glenborough Drive, Foxborough Drive and a pathway connecting Foxborough Drive and Moorpark Way as a bike route.

Teen Center

3/28/2000. Council Meeting
Evaluation of teen program locations - A Councilmember commented that the Escuela House has been a more relaxed location for the Teen Center and they are not going to have the same flexibility and comfort level if they move the Teen Center back to the Senior Center. 

Skateboard Park

9/28/99 Council Meeting
One Councilmember questioned spending $250,000 for a park that only 50 residents would use and suggested that the Council find a way for those residents to be able to skateboard for a lot less money.

BMX Park

6/13/2000 Council Meeting
A Councilmember responded that this type of project does not get done quickly and noted that
the North Bayshore Area contains Shoreline park, which is a wildlife sanctuary and would not be an appropriate place to have a BMX park. She added that after going through the experience of the skateboard and dog parks, she is hesitant to take on another very special­ized recreational activity that serves a very small segment of the youth in the City. One Councilmember stated that 50 to 60 hours is an unrealistic amount of time for this type of project and could foresee it becoming a very compli­cated time-consuming process. She also noted that there is a limited amount of park space in the City. 
Motion: M/S Faravelli/Ambra 
FAILED 3-4; Stasek, Lieber, Noe, Kasperzak no 
Direct staff to refer the investigation of a BMX park in Mountain View to the Youth Ad Hoc Committee, spending 10 hours on the subject, and report back to the Council at a later date. 

Parks and Recreation Commission

2/15/2000 Special meeting
A Councilmember stated that she is not comfortable with the Commission having control over staff time and being able to direct staff to do more investigation. She suggested that the Commission could recommend what they need more investigation on with Council to have final approval.

Golf Course Fees

5/15/01 Special Meeting
A Councilmember stated that offering the junior rate on the weekends is important in order to encourage young people to play golf, particularly patents with their children. Other Councilmembers concurred with one suggesting they also provide senior discounts on the weekend.

Adobe Building

01/23/01 Special Meeting
Adobe building update/operarating policies 

Another Councilmember asked what the present staffing at other facilities is for reservations and if that staffing could be leveraged to take care of the reservations for the Adobe Building as well. The Assistant Community Services Director responded that it would be easier if everyone was at the same facility, but the person at the Rengstorff House works this time of year approximately 10 hours a week and in the spring and summer, the person works 25 to 30 hours a week. At the Community Center, reservations are by appointment only because of limited staff time, so she did not feel they have any extra leverage that could be used at this time. Staff continued to explain that there are a lot of questions involved in the process of making reservations.

Another Councilmember disagreed with the ad hoc committee and suggested that the Council can sort out the issues tonight and direct staff to bring the item back to the Council. She commented that the Adobe Building needs to be different from the other City facilities because what the City is lacking is recurrent space for groups, and there are a number of places where space may be available on an ad hoc basis, but there is no place for regular community groups to meet. She recommended a change in philosophy in regard to the Adobe Building because it has historic value and is being restored for its historic value. She said she did not support giving any kind of use priority in the building to the schools and felt that they have lots of rooms for meetings. She also was not interested in judging groups and said that no member of the Council is in a position to judge the relative community value based on their position on issues, what they are doing or how long they have been in the area. The beauty of the community, she said, is that if you are here, you are a part of the community and this building is going to be a community resource. In terms of pricing, she would like to see a spread in the rates. She noted that Mountain View is fortunate that the businesses that are in the City and which would take advantage of a facility like the Adobe Building have the capacity to pay. She suggested looking at the rates a corporate group would pay if they were renting space at a conference center or a hotel and see what the City can do from a corporate standpoint and then attempt to bump down the nonprofit rates.

Adobe Building Art

6/12/01 Special Meeting
Another Councilmember said that she, too was expecting WPA and she reiterated that this is going to be primarily experienced by driving by in a car, and it should be of a scale to be even remotely recognizable in that venue. She does not think the level of detail in this piece will be anything that people will be able to get any enjoyment from going by in a car. She said she also hoped for something that would capture the WPA spirit. She said that she loves going to Coit Tower because it is a very identifiable-type art motif and that would actually do well because the scale is very clean and simple and something you can see very clearly from the vantage point of Central Expressway. Finally, she said she especially liked the theme of the peve and that these are all of the people who are doing things in this public gathering place, but she thought it was far too detailed and did not capture enough of the WPA spirit.

Street Festivals

02/22/01 Council Meeting
Street closure, sound amplification, festival area designaation and animal ban for Afribbean 2001 music and cultural festival

One Councilmember commented that the feedback she has received regarding the letter from the Central Business Association is that there were merchants downtown who are unaware that this letter was sent to Council, and they were not necessarily in agreement with the sentiments of the letter and were concerned that all of the businesses were being represented in this letter.